Kawaii-Cherri: Well, it's how I flirt and I've been married ten years now, so it works? Maybe? Either that or my husband loves my 'Magic the Gathering' collection? Also, I live for the flirty actions of Elspeth. She's so forward and I'm living for it.

A/N: A terrible flu hit my family this week and sprinkle in at least three family celebrations and it's been a week of hectic mess. Sorry for the late update.

Chapter sixteen: Snap decisions.

Elspeth moaned as she heard her alarm go off. 'Noooo,' she complained as she rolled over and pulled her phone from her bedside table underneath the quilt with her. It was 5am and the sun was already peaking through her blinds. She silenced the alarm and checked her messages; Hayley had gone home with Alex in tow and Sebastian had walked her to the farm. The tension between them had been noticeable by everyone although they attempted to keep it on the down low, they had failed. Sebastian had sent her a message when he had gotten home himself.

-Bazz:

Tonight was something else. I'll pick you up tomorrow. Sleep well, Elsie. X

They had planned to meet up and go camping now that the days were longer and sunlight was more protective. It was to spend time together without the pressure of anyone else being around and in a controlled environment where Sebastian could feel comfortable. Elspeth sat up, excited with anticipation but also begrudgingly as her head was still thumping from her last couple of heavy nights. She looked through her phone gallery, Hayley had sent her some pictures that she had captured throughout the night and each brought a smile to her face.

One in particular made butterflies whirlwind throughout her stomach; at some point in the night, they had all ended up sitting around the table at the sofa. There wasn't enough space for chairs for everyone so Hayley had suggested that she could sit on Alex's lap and that Elspeth could perch on Sebastian's. Abigail was practically spitting fire at this but she couldn't complain as Elspeth was trying her hardest to include her in the conversation which is why they had converged around the sofa in the first place. Sebastian was a little reluctant as he was concerned about Elspeth's bare shoulders but she managed to assure him that she would be fine by taking his gifted hoodie out her bag and slipping it on. He visibly relaxed and felt more comfortable, going as far as taking hold of Elspeth by the hips and pulling her onto his lap. Hayley had caught a couple of moments between Sebastian and Elspeth while in this situation and Elspeth was grateful.

Buddy wandered over with a yawn and rested his head on her bedspread. 'Hey, sweetie,' Elspeth said softly as she reached over and scratched his head, right behind the ear. 'Alright… I'm getting up,' she said with a heavy sigh. Buddy could wander in and out as he needed but the other animals she kept couldn't. It was almost physically painful but she got up and got ready, thankfully, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. It would be a little chilly for the first couple of hours and then warm up substantially.

It took a couple of hours to see to all her animals, her crops and other farm upkeep. Now, Elspeth was singing to herself while planting some flowers around her deck. They were going to be sources of pollen for her bees and make the place look a little more attractive. Buddy was lounging in a sun beam and the air was filled with the sounds of her fowl clucking and calling to one another and her growing lambs bouncing around her fields. Elspeth lost track of time as the day went on and took care of some weeding while she was repotting some of the plants.

She was mid-song when she heard Buddy barking and she leaned back from where she had been planting some orchids. Sebastian had walked down the mountain hill and into the back of her property, she sat back on her heels and smiled brightly. 'Bazzie!' She called out happily as she pulled off her gardening gloves.

'Elsie,' he said as he came close. Elspeth had dropped her trowel and brushed herself down before standing up for a hug. 'You're going camping in a pinny?' He teases lightly as he looks at her gardening gear. He stepped back from her and she looked hurt until she realised that she was dressed in three quarter length jeans and a tanktop.

'Oh, shit. Sorry, Bazz. I didn't realise the time, I was going to get changed before you came over,' she said, feeling bad that he might be feeling uncomfortable. Elspeth began to undo her pinny and brush down her trousers again.

Sebastian shook his head, 'no. Don't worry about it, Elsie. It's my problem not yours, don't feel bad about it. I just don't want to risk hurt-' he cleared his throat as he almost slipped up. '-Risk… touching you and… having a moment,' he said awkwardly, running his hand through his hair. There was a couple seconds of silence and Sebastian broke it hurriedly. 'So, uh, I brought some things for the camping tonight,' he said as he followed her into the house.

'Awesome!' Elspeth grinned as she pulled off her work boots. 'Marnie said that she wouldn't mind shutting the animals away tonight and taking Buddy till morning. Even though we're going to be down in the lower forests, close enough to the farm, it means I don't have to worry,' she said as she shoved her pinny into the washing basket. Sebastian was always so careful while he was at her house and so she decided to fluster him and get a reaction to amuse herself. 'Why don't you make yourself a coffee while you wait? I have to choose some clothes and things,' she said walking towards her bedroom.

He nodded and clicked on her kettle, grabbing a mug from the stand. 'Elsie, did you want-?' He began as he turned to ask her, expecting her bedroom door to be shut. It wasn't. Sebastian's sentence died in his throat as he caught sight of her wandering around in her underwear. A sight that was going to be seared into his mind forever. An emerald green colour seemed to be prominent in her wardrobe and had even crossed over to her more delicate items. He couldn't tell if it was a matching set but it didn't actually matter as it was bad enough he had seen them on her body in the first place.

Elspeth hummed to herself as she crossed her room, walking back and forth in front of the open door. She turned when she heard him speak to her and caught him staring. She rested her hand on her hip and held a top in her other hand and simply waited for him to realise what he was doing. In the end she had to clear her throat for him to make eye contact. 'What did you say?' She asked, sweet as poison pie; knowing that it was entirely her fault that this situation occurred.

Sebastian fumbled the mug, dropping it briefly before he managed to catch it. He coughed and avoided eye contact, 'I was… I just wondered if you… if you wanted a coffee, that's all,' he said as his attention returned back to the kettle. She giggled and leaned against her door frame, crossing her arms as she tilted her head.

'Did I distract you?' She said in a tease.

'I just didn't expect to see you like that-' he began as he turned to face her again, 'oh Yoba, shit. Sorry. Elsie… put some clothes on,' he said as he covered his eyes.

She raised a brow and smirked. 'Do you not like the sight of me in my underwear?' Elspeth asked as she looked down at herself, she even turned around and looked over her shoulder at her lower back. 'No?'

He groaned and turned back to the kettle. 'Alright, woman. You've made your point. Please, put some clothes on,' Sebastian said, mentally doing long division. 'Before I end up having an aneurysm.'

'In a good way, or…?'

'In a bad way. From being so unnaturally frustrated at both myself and this entire situation,' he said bluntly, concentrating on the boiling kettle. Never mind me being the death of her, she's going to be the death of me. I'm going to end up bleeding out when a blood vessel bursts in my eye. Or brain, he thought, privately enjoying the fact that she was teasing him in such a way and loathing her for it at the same time. That's a sight that's going to be keeping me up for months to come.

'Alright, I'm sorry. I'm being mean,' she laughs lightly. 'I'm sorry,' Elspeth said, honestly as she half-heartedly shut her door so that it was ajar. 'Yes, I'd love a coffee. I'm gonna pack a bag and things. Will it take long to set up the tent? What food should we take?' She asks. 'Wanna raid the cupboards and things?'

Only when she was fully dressed did she leave her bedroom with her backpack. She had already put her sleeping bag and some other blankets in the front room ready to take. Sebastian held out the coffee mug for her and gave her an endearing smile. 'You're cruel to me, Elsie,' he chuckled lightly. 'What was all that about?' He asked as she sipped her coffee.

Elspeth shrugged a shoulder, 'it was nice to see your reaction,' she said honestly. 'When physical touch is off the table, you have to get inventive,' Elspeth teased lightly. 'We're doing well so far, as long as we don't kill ourselves with the frustration that goes with it.'

Sebastian gives her a long look and she tilts her head as she hops up onto the edge of her counter, sitting down. He finally voiced the thought that was running through his head. 'What is this, then?'

'What do you mean?' Elspeth replied as she put down her coffee mug and swung her legs. 'What do you want it to be, Bazz? I mean, not to be… mean-' she said wincing, not really liking the word she had chosen but making her peace with it. '-The boundaries in place are yours,' she said, hoping that she wasn't coming across like a bit of a bitch. 'What I mean is, well, we're having to navigate this differently to what a normal… relationship would be? Am I making sense?' She asked, feeling like an idiot. 'Not that your boundaries are a bad thing, obviously. I'm not trying to get you to change them or anything-'

He snorts and nods, 'I get what you're trying to say, Elsie,' he said, feeling a little bitter but knowing that it was all his fault. Sebastian sighs as he tilts his head back and leans against the counter. 'Elsie… I would have everything between us if I could,' he admitted. 'I just can't see it happening and I don't want you to be waiting until I'm… normal.'

Elspeth's heart squeezed in pain and she bit her lip. 'Waiting isn't your choice to make, Bazz. That's mine and I don't appreciate you trying to dissuade me when it's clear that this is something that you want as well.' Sebastian sighed, this would be the moment to tell her everything, he thought as he looked at her, he was about to say something when she continued to speak. 'I don't like having my choices made for me,' she said, bluntly. 'That's what Kiora did.'

'You could end up getting really hurt,' he said, quietly, looking into his mug. Telling her that he could kill her sounded incredibly… creepy. He had taken every precaution and there hadn't been any accidents or even close calls. That wasn't going to change anytime soon. Even with the daily scolding and constant arguments that occurred when he went home and Demetrius would catch him alone. His step-father hadn't been kind since Sebastian started to hang out with Elspeth; in fact, he had been down right cruel and constantly reminded Sebastian that should Elspeth get hurt or worse, it would be all Sebastian's fault and he wouldn't help anymore.

She finished her coffee and put the mug in the sink, 'don't care. Not up to you. Now let's go camping,' she said as she hopped off the side and gave a little boogie, making Sebastian chuckle. 'We're gonna cook marshmallows and drink whiskey and then I'll be nursing a three-day hangover in the morning,' she laughs.

'We don't have to drink,' Sebastian said.

With a playfully annoyed look, she picked up her backpack and her sleeping bag. 'To the campsite!' She announced. He picked up his own stuff and went to follow her but she stopped before the front door. Turning around to face him, she poked him in the chest, 'also, I've decided. We're dating. When you decide you're in a good place with your whole… aversion thing, then you can give me a bouquet or whatever it is,' she said, bluntly. 'I don't know what that's all about but apparently it's the way that you do things here,' Elspeth shrugged. 'Then we can tell people. Until then, this will be between us.'

'Uh. D-Dating?' He repeated, a deer in headlights.

'I mean, unless you don't want to,' Elspeth added, quickly. 'I know that Abigail asked you out and you said no,' Elspeth realised as she thought about it. 'Do you want to date me?' She asked. 'Probably shouldn't just assume, though you have already seen me in my underwear and I like to think that you had a positive reaction to that, so maybe it's not a bad thing I assumed,' she babbled. 'I like you, obviously. I like to think that's obvious,' Elspeth said, her mind racing. Wow, well done me. Just dropping this on him might not have been the way to go. Stupid Elsie. Stupid, panicky me!

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, a little shocked. 'Oh. Okay. Uh. Yeah, I mean, I didn't think you would want to date me,' he said, wondering what was going on.

'Bazz, I don't just walk around in my underwear in front of every guy,' she pointed out with a grin. 'So, you're happy to date me?'

'Uh. Yeah… that. T-That sounds good to me,' he said in a stutter, surprised and flustered. What the fuck just happened? He thought, his heart racing. Did she… just ask me out? It was as if he'd been hit in the face with a shovel. Should I have agreed to that? I just responded without thinking, his thoughts were racing through his head at a thousand miles a minute.

Elspeth grins at him. 'Good. Now, I'm monogamous. You?'

'Uh. Yeah?'

'You didn't sound sure.'

'This is a strange place to have this conversation and it's very sudden. Not that I'm complaining, Elsie,' he said as he motioned to the fact that they were standing in her doorway. 'But, um, yes. Monogamous. Uh, bisexual, if that matters? And uh…' his face flushed, '…inexperienced.'

Elspeth placed her hand on his chest. 'That doesn't matter,' she said, honestly. I figured that last one out what with his whole, touch thing, she thought to herself. 'Also, I'm straight and have had a couple of serious relationships,' she added. 'Now, that's the whole basic background done. I have no plan for the future, no idea if I want to get married or kids or anything. I'm kind of like, a blank page for that stuff.'

Sebastian placed his gloved hand on hers, 'Elsie. It's great that we're talking about this… but is this the time or the place?' He asks with a small smile, and I might have a moment to process all that's literally just happened, he thought. 'Shall we get settled at the tent first? Then you can ask or tell me anything and everything that's on your mind.'

'Hmmm. Okay,' she said simply as she turned around and walked out the door. Mentally, she screamed in her mind, fuuuuuck! We're actually going to start dating! She wanted to literally bounce in place.

He picked up his stuff once again and followed her, amused at her antics. Perhaps there's a reason I can't get a good read on her. I can't seem to anticipate anything that she does, he thought to himself. Apparently, she has no idea what she's doing either. No wonder I'm kept on my toes all the time. Sebastian touched his pocket where there was a tin, shaped like shoe polish. It was salve that Sebastian had stolen from Demetrius. This was going to be the longest time that he had spent with Elspeth and he wasn't going to risk anything.

Be well. Stay safe